EFFECT OF FORCE MOLTING ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF SUDANI DUCKS | ||
| Egyptian Poultry Science Journal | ||
| Article 3, Volume 34, Issue 4, December 2014, Pages 925-938 | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/epsj.2014.5368 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The present study aimed to investigate the effect of force molting procedures on the post molt performance and hatchability traits of Sudani ducks. Two hundred and forty Sudani laying ducks aged 65 weeks were randomly taken, weighted and divided into four experimental groups (each of three replicates). Ducks of the first group were fed ad-libitum and considered as control, the second group was force molted by fasting for 14 days, the third and fourth groups were force molted by feeding diets supplemented with Znic (1.0%) as Zinc oxide and Iodide (0.25%) as Potassium Iodide for 14 days, respectively. Photoperiod was natural daylight during force molting period, then increased to 16 h/d after molting. All ducks were fed the layer diet ad-libitum during the post-molting period. Results indicated that all force molting treatments caused significant (P≤0.01) decrease in live body weight than the control (non-molted) after molting. Ducks molted by fasting recorded the highest average body weight than the control at the end of experimental period. Viability (%) was not significantly affected due to different force molting treatments during the whole experimental period. Force molting by both fasting and Iodide treatment had significantly (P≤0.01) higher laying rate and egg number and mass per duck than the control during the overall experimental period. Feed consumption was significantly (P≤0.01) decreased for duck molted by fasting and Zinc treatment, whereas, ducks molted by Iodide treatment consumed insignificantly lower amount of feed than the control group during the overall experimental period (71-90 wks of age). Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P≤0.01) improved for all force molting treatments as compared to the control group during the overall experimental period. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Sudani ducks; molting methods; Laying performance; fertility and hatchability | ||
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